Tag Archives: Education

Kasia talks about how the quality of access support varies greatly from university to university, and the impact this has on being able to live the life you choose.

Education is said to be “a stepping stone” towards one’s career. Unfortunately, to a disabled person, it often becomes more of a slippery stone. There are a few university rankings that are widely available, with those from the Guardian and the Times being the most often quoted. Sadly, there is no ranking system available that would rate quality of support available to student with access needs. Far too often disabled students choose a university where it is guaranteed they will receive appropriate support rather than a university with better teaching that can also offer better chances of employment. The quality of access support varies greatly from university to university.

I myself experienced different levels of support. They varied from very poor to excellent.

The quality of support I received was very poor

A few years ago, I started a Postgraduate course at one of London’s universities. I was still sighted at that time. I then returned a year later as a student with a visual impairment having been diagnosed with a brain tumour too late to prevent my sight loss.

I had to cope with sight impairment while learning access technology and new ways of studying. I used to rely heavily on my visual memory. The quality of support I received was very poor. It was limited to assigning me support workers. I kept getting the same people despite expressing my dissatisfaction. I was told by a Disability Support Officer (DSO) on one occasion that a support worker is my eyes and I should know how to use a search engine. Later on, I was told that the DSO was making faces and rolled her eyes whilst talking to me.

In order to complete my studies, I had to submit a final dissertation. My supervisor contacted the Disability Department and asked for someone to transcribe audio recordings. I was assigned one person but when I asked for an additional transcriber, I was told that a meeting was required to establish my support needs, as unfortunately, they were not aware. That was despite them being told directly by my supervisor what I required.

I ended up making a formal complaint against the DSO. This improved the quality of her work slightly but unfortunately not for long. The whole experience was very difficult and challenging.

I consider graduating from that university with a good grade to be the greatest achievement of my life.

More recently I tried to do a Human Resources course at a local college of further education. The course has a CIPD (Charted Institute of Personnel and Development) accreditation. The whole course consists of three levels with the most advanced being at a postgraduate level. I did all that was required of me to be assigned to the right group. I submitted a case study and filled in all the necessary forms. It all took time and effort. I was initially told by their DSO that I will be given access to electronic copies of books that I would require. However, later on I was told something completely different. On the top of that, the course leader informed me that she had never had a student that required learning materials electronically. She had students with sight impairment who were able to access large print. I certainly wasn’t made feel welcome. Instead I felt discouraged and disheartened by the whole process and the attitude of the staff in the college. Suffice to say, I decided not to go ahead with the course.

I will never willingly put myself in this situation again

A few years later I did another course at a different university. It was a private university. The experience couldn’t have been more different. They were fantastic. They just couldn’t do enough. All that despite the fact that I wasn’t entitled to Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) funding. They had a designated librarian who I could contact for any book I required. She would then write to a respective publisher in order to obtain electronic copies of books. They organised orientation walks for me in the campus. They were always there for me whenever I required any support. They were absolutely brilliant!

At the end of September this year I’m starting a PG Diploma in Media, Campaigning and Social Change at the University of Westminster. I attended an open day this Summer. Everything has been made as accessible to me as possible. This includes the application process. The course leader put me in touch with a current student who also has a sight impairment. The student couldn’t be happier with the level of support he received.

It is important to know what to expect. During my first course after my eye sight had deteriorated, I didn’t know what support I was entitled to. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to ask for. It certainly helps to know what access technology is available out there. You then know what to ask for. Events such as Sight Village that are organised in a few major cities in the UK are worth visiting. Attending various events is always beneficial if not to find out about access technology, then to learn about everything else. You just never know.

There is no doubt that there should be equal access to education for everyone. Society can lose out on a lot of talent.

We know there is still work to do until all disabled people enjoy equality and fairness, with digital and assistive technology playing a huge part in this. We all need to work together to change society for the better.

There’s something everyone can do to be a Disability Gamechanger so get involved in the campaign today to end this inequality.

A keen campaigner and writer, Raisa uses lots of different assistive technology to help her do day to day tasks. Here, she writes about some of these pieces of technology and how they help her live the life she chooses.

I’m very selective when choosing assistive technology. Of course, everything has its purpose, but if it is no use to me, there’s no point in using it.

For me, because I have the option, I don’t use assistive technology for absolutely everything. I’ve only considered using assistive technology seriously when I started university in 2013.

Because I was doing a Creative and Professional Writing degree, it was clear that there was going to be a lot of writing involved. There was no guarantee that I would be able to type everything up in time, by only using two fingers on the keyboard without a fast typist beside me. I was lucky in the sense that I got quite a lot of help through Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) at uni.

I’ve always had the habit of writing nearly everything by hand so I can literally see what I am typing, rather than transferring my thoughts straight onto a computer. I have never been able to do it. The only exception is when I compose emails. But even then, if my email is really long and I’m really exhausted, I would probably end up using some sort of assistive technology.

Raisa talking to fellow campaigners

Technology has so many uses

I am (literally) using Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 to dictate this post in my bedroom. This version is pretty good. I was first introduced to this software in 2009, when version 9 came out. It was horrendous. No matter how much I tried to train the software to my voice there were too many typos per page. I literally wanted to rip my hair out.

I got Dragon 12 at the beginning of my university course in 2013. Thank God I did. There was just too much to do in so little time! Don’t get me wrong, it still makes mistakes, but they’re so rare that I can live with it now.

Something else I use quite regularly was my Olympus Sonority voice recorder. I used this device to record every single one of my lectures or big public events over the last five years. It’s great that they automatically convert into audio files that work on pretty much any device – so I could listen to them anywhere if I wanted to, either on my phone or laptop. It saves as a compatible file for your memory stick also – bonus!

Assistive technology can help you live the life you choose

A family friend showed me Apple’s voice recognition software and how it worked before I got my first iPhone. I got really excited by this. I wouldn’t use Siri in public, but voice recognition software on my phone has helped me do my most important job these days – dictating and replying to emails! I have a habit of sending really long emails! I don’t have to use my laptop, I just have to hold my phone in my hand and speak.

Raisa laughing with another campaigner

One of my really long emails to date, which I wrote by only my right thumb and predicted text (without using voice recognition at all), took me two hours to type. However, if I wrote that same email again using voice recognition software on my phone, it would have only taken me about half an hour. It is also a quick way to make notes in your notes section for reminders.

I personally wouldn’t go as far as using assistive technology to help me with absolutely everything. I don’t want technology to directly take over my life. However, I hope that this post has been helpful in showing how assistive technology can help you to live the life you choose.

We know there is still work to do until all disabled people enjoy equality and fairness, with digital and assistive technology playing a huge part in this. We all need to work together to change society for the better.

Chris has dwarfism and experiences regular harassment. For Hate Crime Awareness Week, read his blog about the effect this had on him and why he’s keen to change attitudes.

A lot of people still think it’s socially acceptable to mock and effectively dehumanise people with dwarfism. For me, the physical side doesn’t get me down, it’s the attitudes that other people have towards it. There’s still a big stigma around dwarfism and the way we’re portrayed as freaks.

Experiencing harassment at work

I worked at a local pub for a few years. At first, I mostly did night shifts and of course people are drinking, and I was specifically targeted. I’ve had people run up behind me and try to pick me up, people patting me on the head, talking to me randomly about really personal and inappropriate things. People even take photos or film me, purely just to portray me as being different.

It got to a point where I had a breakdown and told my family and my managers at work about it. They were very understanding and agreed that I should do more day shifts instead. It’s a lot better. It’s nice to be able to just get on with your job without constantly feeling paranoid.

The effect of endless harassment

Endless harassment can create paranoia. You just constantly feel paranoid if there’s someone behind you or if someone’s got their phone out, are they going to take a photo of me? And it’s the principle behind it – that they’re going to share it on social media as a joke.

Because I’ve been experiencing it for a long time it can be difficult when I’m in certain environments not to be too self-conscious. For some people, it can lead to depression and even suicide.

Comments and insults can be more damaging than physical assault, certainly for me – it’s just that concept of feeling excluded from society. It also affects my confidence when it comes to working and dating.

Changing attitudes

Through animation, I re-created some of the worst things that I’ve personally experienced. I hope it will raise awareness and change perceptions. I want to put this kind of harassment on the same grounds of nonacceptance that racism is.

I also want to challenge the dehumanising ideas about what disabled people shouldn’t and shouldn’t do. I think education is key to changing attitudes. One day I hope I can walk down the street and nobody cares about my height.

Being carried to school

The Headmistress at the school had refused to take me, and my Grandmother was formidable, absolutely formidable, where I was concerned: and through that visit I got to go to school, with the rest of the family; and my brother, can you imagine this – I thought nothing of it until I got older. I was five; my brother was about nine. He used to carry me on his back to school in the morning. Came for me during playtime, that means he carried me around because I couldn’t walk; carried me home at lunchtime, carried me back after school after lunch, and carried me back after school in the afternoon. That’s a bit much, you know, for a nine-year-old, to carry a five-year-old, and he did that every day and never complained.

I wanted to be a librarian

I wanted to be a librarian, and the careers officer Mr Jolly said, “No way, no way, could you ever do anything like that,” and what came back was a voice from the side, and that was the headmaster, who said, “Now then, how can you say that, because you don’t know our Alan: he can do whatever he wants.”

Working in a subnormality hospital

In the end, I got into trouble one day, big trouble, and I was absolutely furious because of my own experience. I couldn’t stop thinking that had the education authorities have had their way, when they said I was mentally defective, I could have ended up as a patient in that hospital; and that was a rather daunting thought: and they had a block, a ward, called ‘H Block’, and, you know, they had ABCD wards. H was a ward for low-grade patients; that meant their intelligence was very low, and they also had behaviour problems. Many of them had to be restrained for a time; every student had to do at least one month on H Block, and my first day there I just lost it. I went into orbit, oh, terrible. We had to feed the patients, and the staff on the ward got a main course and a dessert and mixed them both together, and fed it to the patients. I couldn’t do that. I kept thinking, ‘This could be me’, you know, ‘this could be me’. There’s no way I’d want my food like that: so I refused to do it…

Alan Counsell at desk

In 1969, Alan became a teacher at Meldreth Manor School. He continues to have a keen interest in education, through visits to schools and through his writing and training.

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Disabled women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse than non-disabled women, yet support services aren’t always accessible. Disabled people can also face unique challenges in recognising and reporting abuse. It’s an issue that isn’t often spoken about. This needs to change.

With this in mind, domestic abuse charity Safe Lives is doing a ‘spotlight’ throughout October and November, focusing on how professionals can better support disabled people experiencing abuse. They have been posting resources, webinars, blogs and podcasts and they are doing a live Twitter Q&A on Friday 2 December.

We spoke to Carly, an advocate for autism and girls, about why this is so important.

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s at 32 which is a late diagnosis, but autism in girls wasn’t really understood. I have three daughters; two of them are autistic as well, which is how I found out that I was. I was looking up everything I could about autism and girls and thought “I’m autistic too” – I ended up being diagnosed on film! The consequences of not being diagnosed can be severe, including being in unhealthy relationships.

Recognising and reporting abuse can be harder for disabled people

For us all in society, disabled or not, the very nature of what abuse is can be murky. All too often we see adverts of women with bruises as an image of domestic abuse. Abuse, however, takes many forms. It’s difficult enough to recognise and report abuse for anyone experiencing it, but for disabled people it can be even harder.

The choice for a disabled person to leave their abuser is not an equal choice to those who do not rely on their abuser for their daily care as well. And how can a person with a social and communication condition have the equality of access to leave, when they may not even realise that what they are experiencing is abuse?

A lot of autistic people are vulnerable because of our lack of social imagination which is about understanding “If I do this, what happens next?” – consequences. We’re very often so consumed in our own thoughts that we think other people have the same wants, needs and agendas as we do, which can lead to us being very vulnerable. Another thing is our theory of mind – we imagine that other people have similar thoughts to us. So if you knew you were experiencing abuse, you may not report it because you think that other people already know. Because you know, they must do too. It can lead to an autistic person being very angry and resentful because they think “Why aren’t you helping me?” – it’s because that person doesn’t know. You need to ask us direct questions, basically.

Carly, speaking at the UN about autism and girls

A “one size fits all” approach to domestic abuse doesn’t work

It’s only in recent times that coercive control has become a legal offence. For someone on the autistic spectrum who requires support with their routine, the control of their lifestyle, the control of their access to social events and family and control of their money, this could easily disguise an abusive relationship to an onlooker. Mix this with an autistic person’s fear of dramatic change, delay in emotional processing and the theory of mind differences described above, and you can see how someone may not seek help.

We need our safeguarding explained in a different way and support services need to be more accessible. The stuff that’s out there is really good but some little add ons would help. I’ve had a meeting with the NSPCC about their schools workshops and I’ve created a short online course on safeguarding for people with autism, which is free to do. Hopefully it will help people think differently.

Including disabled people in these important conversations

Safe Lives’ spotlight on this issue is vital. The protection of disabled people from abuse is a multi-layered complex matter that simply is not covered by standard safeguarding projects. The media also all too often leave our unique needs and experiences to one side in the vital adverts and workshops on abuse – how to recognise it and how to seek help.

I think for many people, disabled adults are either viewed as not having relationships or sex and therefore void from these conversations, or seen as just being able to access the same sexual health and abuse information as everyone else. Of course, in reality, this is not the case. The most vulnerable in society are often the last to be supported. Disabled people aren’t asking for special treatment but we are asking for a fitting reflection of our experiences in society and to be part of the conversation, a seamless inclusion and not an afterthought.

A guest blog from Lucy Driver, a visually impaired student that decided to stay in mainstream education. She knows the benefits and disadvantages of access to education outside of specialist education for visually impaired students.

When my vision began to deteriorate, I found it difficult to access the relevant information about my sight loss and what impact it might have on my education.

I’m hoping that this blog about my experiences might aid those who find themselves in my situation, or are currently supporting someone facing a similar circumstance. I aim to do this by explaining what I did to enable me to stay within mainstream education.

Registering with the Local VI Authority

Registering with the local authority’s visual impairment (VI) education advisory service provides better access to the curriculum for students with a visual impairment. The process itself was relatively straightforward.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENco) at my school initiated my application. After the administrative side of things was complete, a specialist advisory teacher with the visual impairment team met with me at school for an informal assessment to establish my access needs.

I have since continued to meet with the same VI advisory teacher once or so a term. It can be of great benefit to be able to talk to an individual regarding what is and isn’t being done to support you as a student. It also provides you with some perspective, as you are able to discuss any concerns you may have with someone who has a bit more experience in bridging the gap between special educational needs and education itself.

Exam Modifications

A good exams officer is a blessing!

Visual impairment and academic achievement are not directly related to one another; sight loss does not have to mean worsening academic performance.

Exam modifications are put in place to ensure students that require additional support are at the same starting point as students who do not. These can come in a variety of formats from enlarged font size to additional time allocation.

Prior to the submission of the application, everyone involved (the student, their parent’s, the school’s SENco etc.) will meet to discuss what modifications (if any) would be of benefit to the student. Once these arrangements have been agreed upon, the school’s examination’s officer will apply for the modifications to be made

Technology

The uses of modern technology to secure better access to the curriculum are endless. I use the following to enable me to work independently at school:

iPad – This allows me to read text books as ebooks, enlarge imagery and have PowerPoints emailed to me by class-teachers to eliminate the issue of whiteboard glare.

iZoom Software – This is a USB containing magnifying software that enlarges the screen format on computers. It can also re-colour the screen if needed.

Electronic Video Magnifier – I use this during my exams in order to further enlarge my exam paper manually. This means that I don’t need a reader, which enables me to work independently and at my own pace.

Coming to terms with sight loss

A diagnosis of sight loss is incredibly daunting on its own. Adding that to being a teenager trying to keep up with your peers whilst being conscious of the sight you have lost makes it a very difficult concept to explain to anyone that hasn’t experienced it themselves.

I do feel that it’s incredibly important to change attitudes towards people with sight loss, especially when everyone you’ve ever met starts a conversation with, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Having these conversations sooner rather than later, enables the wheels to be set in motion. This provides peace of mind to both the student themselves and their family. It establishes the knowledge that not everything is changing and that going to school and obtaining the same qualifications whilst aiming for the same future as you would have previously, is not an impossible concept.

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Can you imagine the impact technology can have on a disabled student’s life? Technology can give disabled people independence that they could only otherwise dream of.

With your support, technology is opening up the world for young disabled people like Alisha. Alisha is 17 years old and attends Scope’s Craig y Parc School. In this blog she tells us how technology is helping her to realise her potential.

If I’d been asked to write this blog two years ago, it would have taken about an hour and a half just to write a sentence.

I would probably still have done it because I want everyone to know the difference technology has made to my life. But it would have been so frustrating and so difficult.

“I can’t physically type as fast as I think”

I have cerebral palsy and I can’t physically type as fast as I think or anywhere near. But right now, that’s what I’m doing. I bet you’re wondering how!

I am using a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate. I speak, and the words appear on my screen and then I can print them out. It’s made a huge difference to me. It’s made me achieve things I only dreamed of.

I used to have a teacher – she’s passed away now – and one day she said to me. “You’re going to do your Maths GCSE.” I said, “No I’m not. Don’t be silly.” I didn’t think I could do anything like that. Studying was so difficult because I had to rely on someone to type everything into a computer for me.

But that’s changed now. I can do it myself with my voice.

Alisha using Dragon Dictate

“It has opened up the world to me”

Kim, who is the Assistive Technologist at my school, introduced me to Dragon Dictate and it has opened up the world to me.

Kim showed me how to train it to understand my voice – it took a few hours. Now I use it in class and at home as well. It’s made me more independent and able to study on my own. So now I’m doing my Maths GCSE. I know my teacher would be so proud of me.

I never thought I’d be able to do one GCSE in my life, but I’m going to do two. And I feel like I want to push myself even further. Kim says technology can help me do that – it is opening up the world for young disabled people like me.

There are many different types of technology that can help a young disabled person become more independent. For example, if someone has very limited movement they can control a computer screen with Eye Gaze. That means – when they’re reading – they can move from page to page using the pupils of their eyes. They don’t need to press a button or anything.

Just one person – Kim – works with all 42 students here at my school and helps us use technology in different ways. She’s amazing. I don’t know what we’d do without her – we’d lose out on so many opportunities.

I’m guessing technology makes your life easier. Maybe it means you can keep in touch with your family – you can talk to and even see relatives who live far away. Well, Kim’s shown me that technology can do even more for young disabled people like me. It can help us make friends, communicate and control our environment (like turning the lights on and off). It can help us study, get qualifications and give us more opportunities to work. It can make us more confident and independent.

Alisha’s story shows that young disabled people’s lives can be changed for the better with technology.

Anthony talks about how Scope supported him toward his ambition of working to support disabled people. He shares his story as part of our 100 days, 100 stories campaign.

My passion

When I was five years old I met a young boy at school who was severely disabled. He didn’t walk, talk and couldn’t sit up. It made me feel sad that he couldn’t get involved and play with all the other children. He used to lie on the floor and I wanted to lie down beside him. I went home one day crying because I worried about him. My mum asked what was wrong. I told her I was sad about my school friend. Ever since the first day I met my school friend I have wanted to help severely disabled people.

At my secondary school, there was a boy with a profound speech impairment. Teachers used to call me to help interpret. The teachers all said how good I was at helping others. When I got a little older I met my best mate who also had a speech impairment. I’ve known him now for nearly forty years and I have been his voice many times.

My passion is to help severely disabled people. This is why advocacy is very important to me. Too many times, I’ve seen people without a voice left in a corner and forgotten about. It is people like this that need advocates. This is why I am doing my advocacy course, to help give other people the chance they deserve.

What has been the greatest hurdle you had to overcome?

The greatest hurdle is to tell people what I really want; to get people to believe me. They say to me how can you do it when you need so much support? You are disabled yourself, how can you help other people? But I can help people exactly because I am disabled and I know what it feels like. I feel their frustrations and understand their difficulties.

The breakthrough came when I came to Scope. Scope saw my talents in helping people. Then I met my fiancée at Scope and another lady at my service who needed support. This made me more determined to help people.

Qualifications

I was at home one day when an assessor for one of the staff members came in and I had an idea. I asked her if I could do a course in advocacy. She searched for me and said I could do a unit on Advocacy or an NVQ2 in Health and Social Care and choose units in Advocacy.

The assessor was almost sure that the college would provide funding. Unfortunately she came back and said the college would only provide funding for someone who is employed for at least 30 hours a week and will continue to work after the training. Sadly my volunteering did not count.

So my key worker and team coordinator began to look for funding. One of the people they contacted was my care manager at Richmond Council. We had a couple of meetings with my care manager from Richmond Council. They presented my case several times and all the evidence they had gathered about my volunteering and the work I have done to improve outcomes for disabled people.

Richmond Council eventually agreed to pay for the training. It means I am on my way to achieving my lifetime goal; to help give disabled people the voice they never had.

I want to say a big thank you to my mum, my family for believing in me, to my local authority and Scope for giving me this opportunity, supporting me and believing that I can do it.

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Guest post from Mima from London, who took part in our First Impressions, First Experiences employment programme and is now aiming for university. Mima uses an electric wheelchair, and types on an iPad to communicate.

When Mima was in secondary school she spent some time at a special school. The lessons at the school were not at the right level for her, and she’s since developed a strong belief that disabled and non-disabled students should learn together whenever possible. Here, she shares her story as part of our 100 days, 100 stories campaign.

I’m hoping to go to university to study sociology and religious studies. I loved sociology when I did it at A-level – you can really look into society and see how it works. I’m especially interested in disabled people’s rights and education.

Inclusive education

I have a very strong belief in inclusive education. I went to a mainstream primary school, but then I went to a special school between the ages of 11 and 14.

It wasn’t right for me at all. I wanted to learn and do my exams, and we were singing ‘Ten Green Bottles!’ I wasn’t learning anything.

When I was 14, I moved to a mainstream school. It was much better – I could do my exams as normal, and I was much happier. I loved it even then, but now I appreciate it even more. My year group was a family unit to me – some of my best friends are from school.

I worked with the same personal assistant at school for seven years, and I did A-levels in psychology and sociology.

I tried university from January to July, but it didn’t work out. The atmosphere wasn’t a good place to learn, and to be honest I was quite lonely. There were people I thought were friends, but they weren’t.

After the summer holidays I decided not to go back. I felt depressed, my confidence was quite low. I was doubting myself quite a lot after uni. It was the biggest disappointment of my life.

First Impressions

Mima at work at Scope’s offices

My career advisor told me about an employability course called First Impressions, First Experiences. I started in September 2014.

We learnt how to present ourselves; how to prepare for interviews. We did mock interviews, which were quite intimidating – I failed my first interview, but I passed my second! I feel much more confident for job interviews in the future.

The most important thing was making a great group of friends. They are my best mates. We still talk nearly every day on Facebook.

I learnt to be more self-confident. I feel more empowered as a young disabled woman, and it feels awesome!

As part of the course, I also went on placement. I went on a work placement at Scope for three weeks in their campaigns department. I learnt that there’s so much that goes into a campaign – so many little things – and that now it’s much quicker to get messages out there via social media. I designed my own campaign on inclusive education.

I’m volunteering at my old special school now. I want to work in special educational needs, as a teacher. I want to inspire the kids. I want them to know they can make the same journey as me.

Guest blog from Michelle Rundle. Michelle is an occupational therapist who supports disabled children and their families. She has previously written a book for Scope with a parent called Haylee’s Friends and has now written a new book called My Brother is an Astronaut.

About this time last year, Haylee’s Friends was launched by Scope. It is a story to help explain what cerebral palsy is to a young child. There were several comments from various people who read it, that there ought to be a series of stories explaining different disabilities to children and many suggestions were made as to what the next book should be about. One of the suggestions was autism.

Autism is a condition that fascinates me and has for a long time. More specifically, it is understanding how children and young people with autism might experience the world and how that differs from most people that is particularly of interest. I am very aware that understanding this can be a key part of helping these children and their families manage and get through each day, but that it isn’t always an easy topic to get to grips with as adults. It is even more tricky then for siblings, peers, friends and classmates. So the idea for “My brother is an Astronaut” was born. Oddly enough, I knew what the title was going to be before I’d even written the opening sentence!

I know that there are lots of children – and adults! – in the world whose sensory experience and therefore understanding of the world is a little “different”. It isn’t the exclusive domain of people with autism, so autism isn’t mentioned in the story. People with ADHD, ADD can have difficulties in this area too, as well as some children who are a bit “quirky” and don’t fit into any particular category. This book is written for them and for those they spend their days with to try and help give an insight into their experience of the world. It was written with children aged 5-8 in mind, but could have relevance outside of that age range.

Condensing all of the possible sensory processing tendencies and differences into a short children’s story is not possible and I did not want to over simplify it either. So it is perhaps most useful as a starting place to recognising that there might be diffirences and realising that sometimes there is a reason why children in the classroom or at home do things that are a bit annoying or don’t seem to make sense. It won’t provide the answers, but it will hopefully get people thinking.

In writing it, I have included some of the tendencies and habits of a range of children that I have met and worked with in my job as a paediatric Occupational Therapist over the past 20 years. They and their families have taught me so much. I do wonder how many will recognise their child’s particular “quirk” when they read the book. I hope they do!